If You Leave Me Now
"If You Leave Me Now" is the title of a popular hit ballad by the American rock group Chicago, from their album Chicago X. It was written and sung by bass guitar player Peter Cetera and released as a single in July 1976. It is also the title of a compilation album released by Columbia Records (Columbia 38590) in 1983. The single topped the US charts on October 23, 1976, and stayed there for two weeks, making it the first number one hit for the group as well as hitting number one on the Easy Listeningcharts.[2] It also reached number one in the UK on November 13, 1976, maintaining the position for three weeks.[3] "If You Leave Me Now" was also Chicago's biggest hit worldwide, topping the charts in other countries such as Australia. It won Grammy Awards for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. In addition, by August 1978 it had sold 1.4 million copies in the United States alone.[4] The song had been featured in some several television series and movies such as in 2005 romantic film A Lot like Love starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet and it is also included on the film's soundtrack. For the past several years Chicago has teamed with the American Cancer Society and offered the opportunity to bid on the chance to sing their hit, "If You Leave Me Now" with them on stage live at their concerts. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to fight breast cancer. Contents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Leave_Me_Now# hide *1 Charts *2 Certifications *3 Cover versions **3.1 Live cover performances **3.2 Sampling **3.3 Appearance *4 See also *5 References *6 External links Chartshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Leave_Me_Now&action=edit&section=1 edit Certificationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Leave_Me_Now&action=edit&section=2 edit Cover versionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Leave_Me_Now&action=edit&section=3 edit There have been over 100 versions of "If You Leave Me Now" recorded by artists throughout the world, among them: *Brotherhood of Man on their 1980 album Sing 20 Number One Hits *Elkie Brooks released a version of the song on her album Pearls in 1981. *Mina released a version of the song on her album Finalmente ho conosciuto il Conte Dracula in 1985. *Peter Cetera re-recorded the song as a solo artist for his 1997 album You're the Inspiration: A Collection. *Khalil Fong, a R&B singer based in Hong Kong, recorded a version on his second Mandarin album, This Love. *Isley Brothers on their 2001 album Eternal. *Danish popstar Christine Milton recorded an uptempo version for her debut album Friday in 2003. *Philippine bossa nova singer Sitti recorded a cover of this song for her second album My Bossa Nova. *Maggie Reilly on her 2002 album Save It For A Rainy Day. *John Barrowman on his 2007 album Another Side. *Suzy Bogguss on her 2007 album Sweet Danger. *Upside Down, a British boy band from 1996, charted at number 27 *3T, feat. T-Rio, 2005 *Boyz II Men on their 2009 album Love *Egotrippi has released a Finnish version called "Jos Sä Lähdet Pois". Live cover performanceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Leave_Me_Now&action=edit&section=4 edit *Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire sang the song during their joint concerts with Chicago in 2004-2006. This version was included in the Love Songs album by Chicago. Samplinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Leave_Me_Now&action=edit&section=5 edit *A sample of the song is used by British electronica duo Lemon Jelly on the "Nice Weather For Ducks" B-side "Soft" (2003). *The song was sampled as a instrumental of the song "You're My Only Shorty" by Demi Lovato featuring Iyaz, from her third album Unbroken (2011). Appearancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Leave_Me_Now&action=edit&section=6 edit *The song appears in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V on the in-game radio station, Los Santos Rock Radio. It notably plays during the end of a mission in which protagonist Trevor Philips is forced to return his kidnapped hostage Patricia Madrazo back to her kingpin husband Martin. Category:1976 songs